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Rouge Education Project (REP) A year in review

What is the REP? A place-based environmental education program centered around water quality monitoring of the Rouge River, whose watershed is the most urbanized in Michigan. The Rouge Education Project trains teachers in the way of volunteer water quality monitoring and provides resources and equipment, and they, in turn, take the information they’ve learned back to their classrooms. Students see the root cause of environmental issues in their local waterway, and begin to think about bigger picture/Great Lakes issues and implications. They are then encouraged to think about and take action to benefit the river.

Mission: To promote awareness and stewardship of the Rouge River watershed through school-based water quality monitoring, investigation, and problem solving.

2019 marked the 32nd year of the REP.

LEFT: Map of the 2019 spring monitoring schools (red) and sampling sites (green). Shaded areas of color outline Rouge River subwatersheds.

RIGHT: Students from Crescent Academy International finish up surveying the river at the Morton Taylor Trailhead in Canton

2019 SPRING MONITORING SCHOOLS Chandler Park Academy High School, Harper Woods Clippert Multicultural Honors Academy, Detroit Crescent Academy International, Canton Crestwood High School, Dearborn Heights Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills Farmington STEAM Academy, Farmington Hills* Fordson High School, Dearborn* Garden City High School, Garden City Hamtramck High School, Hamtramck* Huron Valley Lutheran High School, Westland Lincoln Park High School, Lincoln Park* Lincoln Senior High School, Warren O.L. Smith Middle School, Dearborn* Plymouth High School, Canton Roosevelt High School, Wyandotte Salem Elementary School, Salem Steppingstone School, Farmington Hills Troy College & Career High School, Troy Troy High School, Troy

*new school 19 schools 45 teachers

1,130 students 17 sampling sites

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Rouge Education Project (REP) A year in review

17 schools 45 teachers

1,501 students 17 sampling sites

Map of the 2019 fall monitoring schools (red) and sampling sites (green). Shaded areas of color outline Rouge River subwatersheds.

The 2019 numbers… Worked with 24 schools and 2,631 students

110 volunteers helped with the project, including a mix of parent, corporate, and trained volunteers (“REP Assistants”)

Brought in six new schools The results… Visit www.therouge.org -> Our Work -> Rouge Education Project

2018-2019 Survey Results

2019 Spring Data Summary Report

2019 Fall Data Summary Report

Birmingham Covington School students measure stream width at Linden Park in Birmingham

2019 FALL MONITORING SCHOOLS Academy of the Americas High School, Detroit Birmingham Covington School, Bloomfield Hills Chandler Park Academy High School, Harper Woods Clippert Multicultural Honors Academy, Detroit Crestwood High School, Dearborn Heights Detroit Country Day Middle School, Beverly Hills Farmington STEAM Academy, Farmington Hills Huron Valley Lutheran High School, Westland Inter-City Baptist School, Allen Park Lincoln Park High School, Lincoln Park Lincoln Senior High School, Warren Novi Meadows Elementary School, Novi* Roosevelt High School, Wyandotte Steppingstone School, Plymouth Tawheed Center School, Dearborn Heights Troy College & Career High School, Troy Troy High School, Troy

*new school Novi Elementary School students pose at Orchard Hills West Park

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Rouge Education Project (REP) A year in review

2019 Events

Workshop Date Location #

teachers #

volunteers

Advanced Chemical Training 03/09/2019 Beverly Hills 10 5

Bug Identification & Sampling Techniques 04/06/2019 Plymouth 2 5

Bug Identification & Sampling Techniques 04/20/2019 Plymouth 2 3

Returning Teacher Refresher: Mock Monitoring Day

06/19/2019 Plymouth 5 N/A

Returning Teacher Refresher: How to Engage Students in Community Action

06/21/2019 Plymouth 3 1

Returning Teacher Refresher: Reflection & Planning Time

06/24/2019 Plymouth 2 N/A

Summer Institute: New Teacher Orientation

08/05/2019 Plymouth 4 1

Summer Institute: How to Engage Students in Community Action

08/06/2019 Plymouth 3 0

Summer Institute: Advanced Chemical Training

08/07/2019 Plymouth 6 1

Summer Institute: Bug Identification & Sampling Techniques

08/08/2019 Plymouth 7 2

Summer Institute: Reflection & Planning Time

08/12/2019 Plymouth 1 0

Student Symposium 11/15/2019 Livonia 3 43 students

2019 workshops were a great success! New and returning teachers and volunteers were given in-depth, hands-on experience learning about and conducting water quality tests, and how to help young people take action in their community. Differing from previous years, teacher workshops were shifted to the summer time—and the Student Symposium was reintroduced after over a decade long hiatus! Students at the symposium shared and discussed their fall monitoring results, met with experts working in the environmental field, and explored ways to make a difference in their community based on their results. All workshops were coordinated and facilitated by the Education Manager. A special thank you to Grace Edinger of Earth Force and Science Consultant Dave Bydlowski for their assistance at many of these events. The Education Manager also hosted a monitoring event for students participating in St. Suzanne’s STEAM Camp at Rouge Park in Detroit this August.

Below: Poster artwork contest design winners

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Rouge Education Project (REP) A year in review

THANK YOU…

Audrey Akcasu William Albrecht Inara Azeer Mary Balamucki Renee Boogren Diana Chamalia Emily Cizmas Jane Culp

Robert de Bear Audrey Edwards Jennifer Gabrys Steven Grosinske Joshua Hubbard Diana Johns Vicki Lowery Darren McCormick

Reef Morse Tracy Ortiz Abeer Savage Brad Todd Chris Trepanowski Tina Weller Sarah Willis Robert Zynda

LEAD TEACHERS

CORPORATE VOLUNTEERS

Arch Environmental Group

Jack Benson

Kellie Das

Jessica Perfetti

Amanda Peterson

General Motors-Hamtramck

Erica Fultz

Elizabeth Gibbons

Eric Hall

Jessica Jeffrey

Meghan Kennedy

Joseph Norris

Brian Wilger

Stantec

Jacob Fielder

Jeff Goedtel

Jared Jonckheere

Diane Krueger

REP ASSISTANTS

Anthony Cieri Jacob Curren Tricia DeMarco Susan Girbach

Maria Kaljaj Katelyn Kroon Chester Marvin Julia Sosin

Kaitlyn Tatro Julia Tituskin

FRIENDS OF THE ROUGE SUPPORTERS

Guardian Bosch Community Fund Community Foundation for

Southeast Michigan* Erb Family Foundation National Oceanic &

Atmospheric Association—Bay Watershed Education & Training Program*

Protector Americana Foundation*

ITC Holdings*

Steward DENSO International America,

Inc.

DeRoy Testamentary Foundation*

U.S. Forest Service*

Advocate Advanced Disposal

Consumers Energy Foundation*

DTE Energy Foundation*

Pure Oakland Water Supporter Canton Township

Carhartt

Clif Bar Family Foundation

Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc.

Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, & Energy

Northville Township

Orchard, Hiltz & McCliment, Inc.

Roeper School Charity Fundraising Event

St. Suzanne Cody Rouge Community Resource Center

Women’s National Farm & Garden Association, Inc.—Bloomfield Hills Branch

Donor Aisin World Corp. of America

Arch Environmental Group*

Cardno, Inc.

The Dul Foundation

Garden Club of Dearborn

General Motors LLC-Romulus

Powertrain Operations*

Hubbell, Roth & Clark, Inc.

Michigan Association of Environmental Professionals*

City of Southfield

Stantec*

Trailwood Garden Club

Washtenaw County Water Resources

Commission

Waste Management

*contributed funding, at least in part, specifically for the REP